LOCATION TRACKING BASED ON PROXIMITY-BASED AD HOC NETWORK

• US 20090201850A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Marc E., O'Sullivan, Joseph, Nair, Rahul, Paretti, Christopher, Zaltzman, Ori, Higgins, Christopher W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method is described for constructing a proximity-based ad hoc network among a plurality of sensors and for using such a network to perform location tracking. The system and method uses time-coded data received from each of the sensors to determine a current proximity of each of the sensors to one or more beacons. Then, by leveraging information relating to the effective transmission ranges of the beacons, the system and method determines the relative location of each of the plurality of sensors with respect to other sensors within the plurality of sensors. Where actual (as opposed to relative) location information is available for a particular sensor, it can be used to generate or augment location information associated with other sensors known to be spatially and temporally proximate to the particular sensor. The current location information for each of the sensors is then used in providing location-based services.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a proximity-based ad hoc network among a plurality of sensors, comprising:

receiving sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the sensor data received from each of the plurality of sensors identifies one or more beacons detected by the sensor and includes one or more time codes indicating when each of the one or more beacons was respectively detected by the sensor;

extracting temporally proximate sensor data from the received sensor data based on the time codes included in the received sensor data;

identifying spatially and temporally proximate sensors in the plurality of sensors based at least on the detected beacons identified by the temporally proximate sensor data; and

constructing an ad hoc network among the spatially and temporally proximate sensors.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining location information associated with a first sensor in the plurality of sensors; and

generating or augmenting location information associated with a second sensor in the plurality of sensors based on the location information associated with the first sensor responsive to a determination that the second sensor is spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining location information associated with the first sensor comprises:

receiving the location information associated with the first sensor as part of the sensor data received from the first sensor.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining location information associated with the first sensor comprises:

generating or augmenting the location information associated with the first sensor based on location information associated with a third sensor in the plurality of sensors that is determined to be spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing one or more location based services to users associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor based on the location information respectively associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors comprises receiving sensor data from at least one of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor; and

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving sensor from each of the plurality of sensors comprises receiving sensor data from two or more of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor; and

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors comprises receiving sensor data from a plurality of different networks or telecommunication carriers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors comprises receiving sensor data from both stationary and mobile sensors.

10. A system for constructing a proximity-based ad hoc network among a plurality of sensors, comprising:

a communications manager configured to receive sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the sensor data received from each of the plurality of sensors identifies one or more beacons detected by the sensor and includes one or more time codes indicating when each of the one or more beacons was respectively detected by the sensor; and

a location tracking manager configured to extract temporally proximate sensor data from the received sensor data based on the time codes included in the received sensor data, to identify spatially and temporally proximate sensors in the plurality of sensors based at least on the detected beacons identified by the temporally proximate sensor data, and to construct an ad hoc network among the spatially and temporally proximate sensors.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the location tracking manager is further configured to obtain location information associated with a first sensor in the plurality of sensors and to generate or augment location information associated with a second sensor in the plurality of sensors based on the location information associated with the first sensor responsive to a determination that the second sensor is spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the location tracking manager is configured to obtain the location information associated with the first sensor by receiving the location information associated with the first sensor as part of the sensor data received from the first sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the location tracking manager is configured to obtain the location information associated with the first sensor by generating or augmenting the location information associated with the first sensor based on location information associated with a third sensor in the plurality of sensors that is determined to be spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a matching manager that is configured to provide one or more location based services to users associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor based on the location information respectively associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor; and

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise two or more of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor; and

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the communications manager is configured to receive the sensor data from the plurality of sensors over a plurality of different networks or telecommunication carriers.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise both stationary and mobile sensors.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processing unit to construct a proximity-based ad hoc network, the computer program logic comprising:

first means for enabling the processing unit to receive sensor data from each of the plurality of sensors, wherein the sensor data received from each of the plurality of sensors identifies one or more beacons detected by the sensor and includes one or more time codes indicating when each of the one or more beacons was respectively detected by the sensor;

second means for enabling the processing unit to extract temporally proximate sensor data from the received sensor data based on the time codes included in the received sensor data;

third means for enabling the processing unit to identify spatially and temporally proximate sensors in the plurality of sensors based at least on the detected beacons identified by the temporally proximate sensor data; and

fourth means for enabling the processing unit to construct an ad hoc network among the spatially and temporally proximate sensors.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

fifth means for enabling the processing unit to obtain location information associated with a first sensor in the plurality of sensors; and

sixth means for enabling the processing unit to generate or augment location information associated with a second sensor in the plurality of sensors based on the location information associated with the first sensor responsive to a determination that the second sensor is spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the fifth means comprises:

means for enabling the processing unit to receive the location information associated with the first sensor as part of the sensor data received from the first sensor.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the fifth means comprises:

means for enabling the processing unit to generate or augment the location information associated with the first sensor based on location information associated with a third sensor in the plurality of sensors that is determined to be spatially and temporally proximate to the first sensor.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

seventh means for enabling the processing unit to provide one or more location based services to users associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor based on the location information respectively associated with the first sensor and/or the second sensor.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive sensor data from at least one of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor;

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

25. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive sensor data from two or more of:

a WiFi sensor;

a cellular telephone sensor;

a Bluetooth™

sensor.

26. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive sensor data from a plurality of different networks or telecommunication carriers.

27. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive sensor data from both stationary and mobile sensors.